Static vs. Fast Assaulters. The static approach is extremely vulnerable to fast-moving units, especially assault-focused units. Your enemy will likely move along either far side of the board and try to roll up one of your flanks. If he can manage this feat, you're in a lot of trouble. Not only has your foe likely taken out one of your units (especially if they're assaulters), but the majority of your firing line cannot shoot at this new threat due to either distance, blocked line-of-sight, or the restriction against shooting into a close combat.

Like we alluded to in the first article, fast assaulters must be eliminated or contained for a Tau army to succeed, especially a static one. Elimination is simpler in concept but harder in execution: concentrate all your fire on these fast threats and destroy them before they reach you. Containment is easier than elimination, but it also presents the risk that the enemy might escape to sow havoc in your fire line. Containment can be accomplished with several techniques.

First, you can add a Crisis Battlesuit Team (perhaps attached to your mandatory Commander) to your army list. Though by no means static, this group can add to the volume of fire while waiting for fast assaulters to make their move. Once they do, you can move your XV8s out to engage them, hopefully within range of your line to provide some assisting fire. You can send your Battlesuits out before then, but they will likely be fire magnets, while placing them behind your line forces a Leadership check for targeting (and your Fire Warriors might be more tempting targets anyway). Other mobile units that can accomplish this interceptor role are Stealthsuits, Piranha Skimmers (Burst Cannons can cut through power armour, which they do best with Markerlight help), and Vespid. A Gun Drone Squadron might work in a pinch, if you're short on points.